Fairytale
by Shinosuke
Summary: A Harry Potter Cinderella story. A potions mishap turns Draco into a girl for one night. He falls in love with Harry Potter, simple right? But when Draco is a boy again, he can't say what happened. And Harry is looking for the dream girl he thought he met
1. Chapter 1

-Disclaimer-

I don't own the characters, I wish that I did.

But wishes only come true if you have a talking

Cricket with a top hat.

* * *

**Fairytale**

Xx-XxX-xX

Draco Malfoy was never one to believe in fairytales. Not even when he'd been a young child had the happy stories ever been pleasing to him. He'd always been extremely skeptical, as was his Malfoy nature, and had only been consumed with questions when any of his many caretakers had tried to read him such silly drivel.

"Snow white? Why didn't she run away from the awful witch in the first place? And why stay with seven dwarves. Did they have magic to protect her? Apples can't be poisoned can they? It would have been much more convenient to use a potion. And kisses don't wake people up!"

"Since when do pigs build houses? They don't even have hands? Are these magical pigs with hands? What spell give pigs hands? And how did the wolf know where to find them and blow their houses down? Didn't they have up proper wards? Such silly pigs, I don't like this story. Read a different one."

"Cinderella? Transfigurations has its limits. Curtains to a dress sure, but mice to coachmen? Impossible. There's no such thing has human transfigurations. Why do you think we need polyjuice? And are you really trying to tell me that Cinderella has feet that are a completely different size than everyone else in the world?"

And the same would go one for any children's story and any fairytale. Eventually, everyone gave up. It was no secret in the Malfoy household that reading the young master a fairytale or anything of the sort would only lead to trouble.

But here in current time, many years since Draco had even entertained the thought of a bedtime story, fairytales were the furthest thing from his mind. In fact, there were very few things on his mind except for how unbelievably furious and embarrassed he was at his current situation.

You see, Draco Malfoy had had an accident. A terrible, _terrible_ accident.

Yesterday had been another seemingly uneventful Thursday afternoon. Draco had gone to his potions class, as per usual, and unfortunately had the luck of being partnered with Neville Longbottom once again. Snape had first requested Draco, the best potions student in the school, tutor the rather incompetent Gryffindor. He'd reluctantly agreed, and after their first relative success (i.e. nothing blew up) Snape continued to partner them in class.

Today's potion was rather simple. It was meant to change the drinker's eye color temporarily. Since the next day would be Halloween and there was to be a large costume ball, Snape had thought it would be both fitting and just challenging enough that no one would slack off. It was a potion used mostly for recreation and costumes, after all witches and wizards were very fond of Halloween. But it could also be used to aid in a quick disguise when the rarer ingredients of a Polyjuice couldn't be obtained.

Either way, it was a simple potion; nothing to be stressed over in the least, or at least, that's what Draco had thought. He had honestly tried his best to help the nervously stuttering Gryffindor but he was admittedly cold towards the boy. But then again, who wasn't he cold towards?

At the end of the class, everyone drank their potions and began marveling at the distinct and outrageous eye colors they had. There was light pink with little red hearts, bright orange and yellow and red like a flame, mixes of aqua and green like the sea, neon purple with black swirls; the combinations went on and on. And Draco, being much braver than he ever should have been, scooped up their potion into a cup and drank it.

He had planned for the potion to make his eyes bright, blood red but after the burning of the potion settled in his stomach he turned to the Gryffindor and the boy frowned. There was no change, nothing different about his silvery blue eyes at all. Draco was honestly slightly disappointed but oh well, no harm done. Just another potion rendered ineffective by his rather un-teachable potions partner.

So that night, Draco had retired to his room, feeling a little drowsy and lightheaded. He went to sleep early, not expecting anything to be different in the morning. But oh how very wrong he was.

The first thing he noticed as he slowly pulled his consciousness back into the real world was a strange weight on his chest. He'd never felt anything like that before. And the black silk boxers he'd worn to sleep in seemed a little tighter around his hips than normal, he'd really have to cut back on the desserts.

He opened his eyes and sat up running his hands through his tangled hair. In that very instant, two things occurred to him. His hair, that he'd just had trimmed, was now suddenly halfway down his back and whatever the hell was on his chest _bounced_.

_What the fuck…?_

Draco looked down and his eyes widened almost comically at the look of his bare chest. What should have been a smooth plane all they way down was interrupted by two rather large masses that were otherwise known as breasts. He stared at them in disbelief for a few long seconds before he fainted clean away.

The very next thing he recalled was a very blushing Blaise shaking him gently awake and asking where he'd come from.

"What? Blaise it's me? Please tell me this is all a dream." Draco had responded, shocked silly by the lilting high pitched sound of his voice.

"I'm sorry, I don't know you. What house are you in?" he asked his hand wandering a little farther down Draco's bare shoulder than he would've liked.

Draco pushed him away, "Fucking pervert! You would try to cop a feel when your best friend is having a fucking _crisis_."

Blaise's dark eyes widened and his dark skin seemed to gray out, "_Draco?_"

"Well who the hell else would I be!" Draco shouted in response hastily covering his chest by crossing his arms, "Ohmigawd… I'm a woman. I'm a fucking woman!"

Needless to say, there was a certain Gryffindor that was about his get his ass kicked into the next century.

So Draco had his friend Pansy help him find a suitable shirt, since not a single one of his would fit around the obtrusions on his chest. And then he called all of them, Blaise, Pansy, Snape, and Neville to the potions lab so they could discuss exactly what the hell had happened to him. Luckily, all of those in attendance of the little meeting were smart enough not to laugh or make any sarcastic comments. They would've gotten Draco's now rather dainty fist right in the face, and they all knew it.

After Snape had whipped up an antidote and fed it to him, Draco had pulled out his wand and cast a slightly illegal version of the muffliato spell on them all. So that none of them would ever be able to talk about this incident again. It was only slightly illegal because though the ministry frowned upon it, the laws had never been put in place. Unfortunately, though not by coincidence, at their council meeting, everyone was speechless about whether it should be illegal or not.

Even though the war was over and Draco's father was good and dead, his family name and pride were very important to him. It wouldn't do to have his reputation ruined over this. Snape, in a series of roundabout ways, considering he was no longer able to talk about it, informed Draco that the antidote would set in somewhere around midnight.

Feeling content that his dignity was intact and his normal form would soon be returned to him, Draco returned to the Slytherin boys' dorm to wait.

But his friends, the sneaky little snakes they were, weren't going to let him just hide away until this had passed. It was Halloween and they were both adamant that he just _had_ to attend the dance. Of course Draco had refused; why in the hell would he want to prance around as girl all bloody night? But Blaise and Pansy did the one thing they knew he simply couldn't resist.

They dared him to go.

And Draco Malfoy had never once backed down from a dare.

He looked helplessly back and forth between his wildly grinning friends before finally agreeing to at least make an appearance but that was all. It was enough. No sooner had the words of agreement left his lips, did Pansy Parkinson turn into a whirlwind of dresses and makeup and hair styles until, when finally the world settled down again, Draco looked like a walking orgasm

He had to admit, he liked the rather uncomfortably aroused look on Blaise's face; he liked the bit of power it gave him. Sure Draco had always been totally intoxicating to both boys and girls, but he'd never been able to use his powers on _straight_ boys before. And he liked knowing that even in a foreign female body, he hadn't lost an ounce of his beauty and charm.

Pansy had really done something magical with his makeup, no pun intended. Obviously, Draco had never worn make up before, he hadn't had a need to. And Pansy had gone rather light, accentuating his looks, not covering them. He the barest hint of smoky eye shadow around his eyes making the blue stand out, a light pink on his lips, the bit of pale rose blush on his cheek bones… Well honestly Draco didn't know much about makeup and all the other things she'd dabbed across his cheeks and smudged across his eyelids; but he'd happily receive a blowjob from the face of the girl that stared back at him in the mirror. It was sort of a weird thought to have considering the girl in mirror was actually himself. But in his head, he was still very much a 17 year old boy.

His pale blond hair and been left loose, cascading down his back some of the ends in very loose pin curls that looked so soft he just wanted to play with them. But Pansy yelled at him and told him not to, saying he'd ruin them. And his dress, well they'd had to argue about that. Draco did _not_ want to feel like a fucking drag queen. But honestly, now that he saw himself in it, he wasn't upset in the least. It was the palest blue color with magical sparkles all over that seemed almost like stars, glinting and disappearing into the fabric again each time it moved; twinkling like the night sky crowded with heavenly lights. (Man my inner monologue is getting a bit carried away). It was long and flowing, revealing his pale back and dipping to show his substantial cleavage. Gripping at his waist to show how slender it was and making his hips look wide in comparison.

The only thing he really had a problem with were the silver heels he had to wear, with straps going across his feet and around his ankles. It felt totally otherworldly to wear shoes like that. He had to magically shorten the 3 ½ inch heels to 2 inches so he wouldn't topple over. But over all, the girl that was staring at him from the mirror looked utterly fuckable. _More_ than fuckable. She was every straight boy's wet dream come true.

And so, now that he was ready for the dance, in a costume absolutely no one would recognize him in, he and his friends had left for the Great Hall to enjoy their Halloween festivities.

That had been more than hour ago, and though before he'd gotten here, Draco had felt almost proud of the way he looked, now it was a totally different story. Whatever convinced that silly senile old headmaster of his to allow alcohol for 5th years and up he would never know. But if one more stinking drunk pervert grabbed his boob he was gonna fucking punch someone.

He didn't dance, still not feeling too confident in his heels; he stayed more towards the edge of the Great Hall. He'd wandered out into the courtyard that had been added so that the student could go outside to see the fireworks and dazzling bright full moon. But it was too cold out there for him, and though his body was softer and fleshier than ever, the sharp wind seemed to blow right through his small frame and he was forced back inside with the rest of the crowds.

He felt extremely out of place and uncomfortable. The stares he got every time he so much as moved were nearly unbearable. He was tired of being hit on and ogled at and drooled over. _Literally _drooled over. It had been flattering to have that much power over straight boys at first but really, he found the whole lot of them to be disgusting, perverted Neanderthals. Seriously, when's the last time any of them cleaned their nails? Or shaved correctly? Most of them slathered on way too much cologne, probably to cover years of bad hygiene. And they all had the worst pick up lines in the history of the world.

"Hey beautiful, there must be something wrong with my eyes 'cause I can't take them off you."

"Was that an earthquake or did you just rock my world?"

"Oh baby, I lost my virginity, can I have yours?"

"My _wand_ is ready, let's make magic!"

If Draco had a galleon for every cheesy and crude pick up line he'd heard tonight, he'd be able to double the Malfoy fortune in no time flat.

Deciding rather abruptly that he'd certainly stood up to the dare and was sick of this damn dance, he left the Great Hall, sighing heavily once the thick doors were closed behind him. He was ready to go back to his room, wash all evidence of this night off him in a long, hot shower, and crawl into bed. He'd wake up tomorrow as male as ever.

He set off down the mostly empty hallways still able to hear the muffled music. There were of course a few stragglers from the dance out and about. Those who had to escape to the bathroom and those couples looking for some secluded corner. Draco passed them all by, wanting only to get back to the privacy of the Slytherin dorms.

As he got farther from the Great Hall the corridors emptied out and he was walking alone. He felt safe so he was relatively shocked with a heavy hand came down hard on his shoulder and spun him around.

"Mmm hey gorgeous. Trick or treat?" A rather drunken Ravenclaw boy slurred out pressing him against a wall.

Draco glared daggers at him and tried to push him away, ready to get out all his frustrations on this drunken punching bag, but he found, much to his dismay this body was more different than he thought. He wasn't anywhere near as strong as he was normally. His arms felt weak and the Ravenclaw was leaning heavily against him, pushing his slender body painfully into the masonry of the wall behind him.

"I'll bet you wanna give me a treat…" the boy said leaning into kiss him and Draco began to really struggle in earnest now, but to no avail.

He shrieked out a slew of expletives, hoping it would either wake the idiot from his drunken stupor or bring someone to his rescue. He was really fighting now, but the boy easily grabbed his thin wrists and restrained him. It was no use; he just wasn't fucking strong enough!

The boy leaned in as though to kiss him and Draco pulled away as far as he could his mouth twisted in disgust as the boy**'**s hot breath rushed over his skin. Helpless, he felt the familiar cowardice swelling in him and he let out a whimper of defeat before he simply squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the worst.

Very suddenly, the body that was restraining him was gone and Draco slumped to the ground. He was flooded with relief as he saw some other boy had obviously saved him from being a rape victim. He watched absently, still breathing hard, as the taller dark haired boy harshly scolded the Ravenclaw, brandishing his wand and ordering the would-be-rapist back to his house dorms.

The drunken boy offered a sort of slurred apology before he left, at which point Draco's savior turned to help him. The blood drained from Draco's face and internally groaned.

Harry. Fucking. Potter.

Why hadn't he known? He was everyone's god damn savior, wasn't he?

Tonight was _so_ not his night.

Xx-XxX-xX

Harry Potter took another shot of Firewhiskey before pushing away yet another girl from rubbing up against him. He had to admit, Dumbledore might be losing the last of his precious marbles, allowing alcohol at a school dance. But it was only 5th years and up, and in a way Harry was grateful. There was no way he'd be able to make it through this night without the liquid courage.

He had politely brushed off every girl who came his way, and there were tons. Each of them wanting a dance, a date, a kiss, or anything really from the famous Harry potter. They didn't really like him, he knew better by now. They liked the image of him, the idea of him as a hero. But none of them so much as knew a single thing about him other than that he'd saved the world and had lots of money. But that was all these girls needed to know, wasn't it?

Harry spent most of his time at the dance shooting back Firewhiskey and jealously eyeing his friends as they danced. Ron and Hermione looked so perfect together. They loved each other, knew each other, cared about each other. The same with Ginny and Dean, or Luna and Neville. Even Seamus, though single, seemed to have found plenty of blokes willing to grind against him. They looked… happy.

Harry only wished he could ever find someone who could love him for who he was, not the famous part of who he was made to be.

He got fed up with his depressed mood rather quickly and decided he would go take a walk to get away. He was becoming almost sick with envy when he looked at his friends and it certainly wasn't a feeling he enjoyed. He left the Great Hall pretty quickly, just aimlessly wandering the corridors. There were of course, the groups of girls who all had to check their makeup in the bathroom together and the couples who'd snuck off for a more private "conversation" but mostly, Harry was alone. He preferred it that way.

When people were around he became "Harry Potter: The-Boy-Who-Lived". It was easier to avoid crowds.

God, his thoughts were really getting depressing, weren't they?

He wandered pretty far, before he slowly started circling back, debating whether he'd go back in for some more Firewhiskey or just call it a night and go to bed. But he was rather abruptly startled out his silent indecision by the sound of a girl screaming:

"Donchu fucking touch me! Fuckin' twat nosed Ravenclaw bastard!"

His first response was laugher and disgust at the insult "twat nosed". Especially considering it dredged up a rather disturbing mental image. He'd have to use that insult later. Still, he hurried towards the sounds of distress and pulled out his wand. As he turned one more corner he saw the 6th year Jeremy Buggle pinning a blond girl against the wall. He was holding her wrists back firmly and she was obviously terrified. Harry stalled long enough to see her face scrunch up in disgust and her eyes close as she apparently resigned herself to her fate.

Harry stepped in then, grabbing the boy by the back of his collar and roughly throwing him against the opposite wall of the hallway. The boy slumped and stumbled, his eyes glazed over. Harry wrinkled his nose as he took a step closer; Jeremy absolutely reeked of alcohol. But all it took was a point of his wand, the wand that had defeated Voldemort, and suddenly the boy's lusty gaze was overtaken by fear.

Harry grabbed the boy by the front of his shirt, hoping to teach him a lesson for the future he harshly admonished him and threatened to castrate him before sending him back to his dorms. Jeremy let out a mumble that Harry assumed was meant to be an apology before he swiftly left, obviously wanting to keep his reproductive organs intact. Harry sighed a little, feeling almost bad for the usually kind boy. It was amazing what a little alcohol could do to some people.

Harry quickly remembered the girl he'd saved and turned to look at her. She had one pale trembling hand at her throat, obviously trying to catch her breath. And suddenly Harry was trying to catch his breath too. Now he really pitied Jeremy. The girl was just fucking… breathtaking. _Literally_. Ivory skin, blond hair the palest golden color, big glittering eyes behind long lashes. God, he'd never seen a more beautiful face! He saw her sparkling gray blue eyes flicker up to him and was surprised to see a look of disgust and horror cross her features, her perfectly shaped pink lips twisting into a sneer. Harry's eyebrows raised minutely. That certainly wasn't the response he usually got from girls.

He walked over to her and knelt at her side, "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?" he asked as he reached out to lift the shoulder strap of her dress back to where it belonged rather than where it was, halfway down her upper arm.

The girl smacked his hand away before he could touch her, "I'm fine, Potter." She snapped and Harry didn't respond, not sure how he could.

The girl moved as though to stand but Harry could see her arms were trembling. He reached out to help her up and steady her but as soon as she was on her feet she pushed him away again.

"Umm…" Harry started feeling slightly insecure, "If you're headed back to the ball I can—"

"My agenda is none of your business." The girl snapped backing away.

Okay, that was it. Harry wasn't the type of person who couldn't take a hint. Yup, she hated him. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why though. In fact… he didn't even know who she was. She was a striking girl, not the type of person one forgets easily. So how was it that Harry had never seen her before?

"Well alright…" Harry responded slowly, "Just be careful. Wherever it is you're headed."

He took a step as though to turn and heard something crunch under his foot. They both paused at the sound and Harry lifted his foot before bending to pick up what he'd stepped on. It was a silver bracelet. A long strip of flat silver with the initials "OM" scrawled fancily over it. The chain that clasped it to one's wrist was most certainly broken.

"Is this yours?" he asked holding it out to her in his hand.

Her eyes glinted harshly before she looked down his hand. She gasped and reached for her left wrist as though to see that her bracelet really wasn't there before she snatched it out of his hand.

"OH MY GAWD!" she yelled, "You broke it! You fucking broke it!" she groaned and sighed, "This is the worst night of my life…"

It was hard to feel pity for a girl that so obviously disliked him. But somehow, Harry managed. Still he took a step back feeling slightly uneasy.

"Can't it be fixed?" He asked quietly.

"Do you have any idea how much this is worth? More than everything you own! And no it can't just easily be fixed." She replied

"Alright, alright…" Harry said annoyed with the arrogance that seemed to flow so easily from the girl as he tried to think of someway to fix the situation.

The girl slumped against the wall again, "My mother is going to be so mad at me…" she mumbled.

And again, Harry was somehow unable to stop himself from feeling bad about it. Damn his good natured Gryffindor qualities, "Is there anyway I can help?" he asked kindly.

"Help? _Help?_ It seems to me that you bloody Gryffindors do plenty of helping as it is; especially you. I'm not some Gryffindor charity case. You can shove your '_help_' where the sun doesn't shine for all I care, Potter."

Harry's mouth settled into a firm line. He was about to retort before he really thought about it. Rude as she was, hadn't Harry just been wishing for someone who didn't fawn over him because he was famous? She obviously couldn't care any less about who he was. She was gorgeous beyond belief, strong willed too. She was everything he could've ever wanted all in one beautiful, pale package.

Xx-XxX-xX

Alright, there's chapter one. I actually really like this story cuz they're won't be a ton of angst (like all my other emo stories)

And I'd like to know what you think. Is it worth continuing?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey! Sorry this took so long to post. My entire posting schedule has just been screwed up recently. Hate me for my lack of good scheduling, not my story. So.. Well I don't have much else to say. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 2

"What? Nothing to say?" Draco jibbed, trying to make Harry go away; just go away and let him escape back to his room.

"Who are you?" Harry asked rather bluntly, staring straight into Draco's eyes.

Draco scowled, "That's none of your concern." He answered vaguely. Mostly because he couldn't think of a name fast enough.

Harry was quiet for a moment. His emerald eyes flickered downwards and he bit his lip before saying, "I'm really sorry about your bracelet. Let me make it up to you?"

"Oh? And how would you do that?" Draco snapped back callously.

Harry paused and stroked his chin as though he were really thinking about it, "How about… one dance." He replied with a tentative smile.

Draco swallowed as Harry's deep green eyes flashed over him. He wasn't sure why that made his cheeks heat. Must be that knowing Harry was looking at him while he was in the form was embarrassing. Yeah, that's what it was.

"What, should I be honored? No fucking thank you." he retorted, but even he noticed that the words didn't carry their usual sting. Partly because his voice was feminine and partly because… well, he was actually considering the offer.

"Well," Harry started his eyes meeting Draco's with the hint of a challenge hidden in them, "I'm sure you didn't get dressed up like that to be heading back to your dorm so soon. One dance wouldn't hurt. It'd give us both a chance to avoid the swooning, drunken teenagers wandering around."

Draco swallowed as he tried to process a lot of information quickly. Okay firstly, much as he hated the boy, Harry was damned sexy when he smiled like that. Secondly, what better power trip than to make Harry Potter fall head over heels for him? And thirdly, it _was_ sort of early for him to escaping to his room. With Harry Potter on his arm, the horny boys at the ball wouldn't dare approach him.

"I suppose _one_ dance won't kill me." Draco assented with a mock sigh of annoyance, all the while feeling distantly satisfied that Harry couldn't keep his eyes off of him.

Harry gave him a slightly lopsided, yet dazzling smile, "Good"

Draco blushed at first when that smile was flashed at him, but he quickly shook his head a little as though that might somehow get rid of the weird thoughts he was having. How exactly had he never before seen Potter smile like that? His smile was so bright and perfect it seemed to make the room spin or the world stop; Draco couldn't decide which. He'd been around the boy for six years but he'd never once seen anything like that. Sure most of their interactions were fights but you'd think he'd have noticed that kind of a smile at least once.

Harry offered his arm but Draco haughtily refused as he began to walk back down the empty corridor. Surprisingly, Harry's smile only widened as he followed.

"So will you tell me your name?" Harry asked as he walked quickly to keep up with Draco's pace.

"No." Draco snapped rather quickly. He couldn't think of a fake name that suited him. And he was afraid even if he gave one he either wouldn't remember it later or he wouldn't answer to it.

Harry smiled that same stunning smile and Draco blinked trying to recover from it. It was disconcerting. He instead tried to think of something else. Like how the metal of his bracelet was heating in his grip. He simply hadn't been able to bring himself to carry a purse. It was just too much; his pride wouldn't allow it. So now, he had a broken bracelet he had no where to put it, only holding the jewelry in his hand.

And of course Harry noticed, because he's the type that notices everything.

"Are you just going to carry that bracelet all night?" he asked motioning towards Draco's hand.

"Well it's not exactly like I've got any pockets, now is it?" Draco rolled his eyes.

"I do." Harry responded sweetly but Draco only scoffed.

"As if I'd trust you with it. You already broke it."

"Well it's not like anymore damage can be done, is it? It's your choice though really, you can trust me, or you can carry it." Harry replied as though he already knew what Draco was going to say in response.

"Or I can turn around and go back to my dorm and never even have to even _think_ the name Harry Potter again." Draco said smugly, knowing that's not what Harry would've expected him to say.

In response the Gryffindor only shrugged but his smile faltered and fell away.

Draco sighed, and once again, being slightly too brave for his own good, reached over and slipped the bracelet into Harry's pocket.

Those jade eyes flickered up to his face so quickly he lost his breath, "So you trust me then?" Harry asked with a small smirk of victory.

Draco, not willing to let Harry win, shook his head, "But you're right that it can't get any worse. And plus, it's charmed so that only I can wear it. There's not much you can do with it."

"I really am sorry that I broke it." Harry sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I believe you." Draco waved off the apology. It sounded much too genuine and sort of made him sick to his stomach with the sweetness of it all. He had to say something to take away from the moment. Or the flutters in his stomach might start to get to him.

They'd reached the Great Hall again and Draco pushed open the doors. As soon as he did so, the loud music hit them full force. Draco looked nervously at the sea of swaying bodies stretched out before them and suddenly thought maybe he'd made the wrong choice. Maybe he'd be tons safer and happier just laying in his bed in his pjs until this was over. He glanced at Harry for support, though somehow hoping his nervousness didn't quite show on his face.

The Gryffindor only smiled at him and offered out his hand for Draco to take. Draco glanced down at the tanned, calloused, scarred hand and then back up at the smiling face of his rival.

He felt a shimmer of magic in the air and shuddered, trying to shake off the odd feeling that something was changing; that this was important. He reluctantly took the boy's hand, finding his own small, cold one quickly enveloped. Harry led him right past the dance floor and out into the totally desolate garden/courtyard add on. It was so cold that nearly everyone had decided to stay inside and Draco immediately shivered as a gust of frigid wind blew past him.

There were a few stone benches, a quietly gurgling stone fountain and many flowers. Draco had to admit, despite the cold, it really wasn't so bad. At least the wind carried the scent of flowers all around them. It smelled good.

They walked forward a little bit, finding the perfect secluded spot in which to dance. Harry took a deep breath as he turned to Draco, finally revealing what seemed to be some sort of anxiety. It was nice to see some human weakness in the Boy-Who-Supposedly-Saved-the-World. It helped Draco to relax a bit at least.

"One dance," Draco reminded in a business like manner, "Make it worth my while."

Harry smiled a little and pulled Draco's body a little closer, "I'll try my best." He answered back softly.

Draco was a little nervous as Harry slowly began to lead them in a dance. He'd never danced in heels before and he was afraid he might be dreadful at it. But luckily, it really is all in the leading. Harry led them around in circles, totally ignoring the pulsing beat from inside the Great Hall and dancing to whatever music was inside his own mind. It took a few minutes but Draco began to feel at ease, trusting Harry not to make any really complicated movements he wouldn't be able to follow. After all, Draco maybe good at dancing, but only when _he_ was the lead.

His death grip on Harry's shoulders slowly relaxed as he fell into pace with the Gryffindor and he found himself admiring the feel of the muscles beneath his hands. The last time he'd bothered to really look at Harry's physique, he'd been too thin and sort of gawky. But he seemed to have filled out and toned up rather nicely over the years.

"So," Harry asked quietly, "What house are you in?"

Draco paused and pursed his lips in thought. Well he couldn't say Gryffindor. And he didn't think Harry would ever like a Slytherin. From the way he'd insulted that boy earlier in the hallway there was really no way he was a Ravenclaw. So that left Hufflepuff. Draco almost scoffed out loud. If he said he was a Hufflepuff it'd be the most obvious lie of the century.

"Let me guess," Harry said drawing Draco a little closer, "Slytherin?"

Draco smirked trying not to show how scared he was that Harry would hate him now, "Oh your powers of deduction are beyond compare. I suppose you'll dislike me now, hm?" He asked not admitting to himself that his voice did carry a hint of worry.

Harry smiled, "Dislike you? Impossible. It doesn't matter to me what house you're in."

Pleasantly surprised that Harry didn't seem the least bit upset to find out they were in rival houses, he simply smiled, not sure how else to respond. In the back of his mind he was thinking he should probably cut this off now but in the front of his mind he was too busy staring. Harry really had gotten hot, hadn't he? His hair kept moving slightly in the wind, looking as disheveled as normal but undeniably soft. And his eyes… Draco had never seen eyes like Harry's. The color was just so bright and deep and perfect surrounded by thick black lashes. And his cute full lips, always on the verge of a smile. And—

_God! Is this what it's like to be high on estrogen? I can't believe I'm thinking all this._

Draco cleared his throat softly, "So I guess I never did thank you for saving me." He said, letting his shoulders relax and making their slightly formal dance become more intimate. The change was noticeable.

"You don't have to thank me." He answered softly.

Draco felt that little bit of panic in his chest again at the first sign of too much sweetness. He snorted to take away from the seriousness of the moment, "You can drop the modesty act 'oh Great Savior'."

He immediately felt Harry's shoulders stiffen under his hands and an awkward silence fell over them. Draco bit his lip and looked away. Okay, so maybe that hadn't been one of his more charming moments. He tried to think of something to say to take it back, but came up empty. So the deafening silence continued. Until finally, Harry decided to break it himself.

Harry sighed, "I really thought you were different for a moment." He looked away as though h**e** couldn't look at Draco any longer, "That you wouldn't treat me like some celebrity."

"I won't" Draco answered too quickly, but he didn't care. He just wanted to fix whatever he'd just ruined, "I was just picking on you. Force of habit." He tried to explain but then bit his lip again before he said too much.

Harry shrugged, but wouldn't meet his eyes anymore. Draco could tell Harry had really been stung by the words and he wracked his mind searching for some way to apologize. Luckily, Harry had a habit of speaking whenever Draco realized he was at a loss for words.

This time his eyes met Draco's with fierce intensity, "I'm really not the Golden Boy or whatever else they try to label me. _I'm really not._"

Draco stared back into those eyes shocked nearly speechless by how much honesty was there. Being a Slytherin, honesty wasn't something he saw often. But man was Harry good at it.

"I believe you." Draco whispered before he could stop himself.

_God I sound so… girly_.

Harry was silent for a few long seconds before he chuckled lightly, "I'm sorry." He said, "I was just being overly sensitive. It's just that I was thinking earlier… how much I hated being the 'boy-who-lived'. How much I resented the title and everything that came with it. So, I guess you just hit a nerve."

Draco could see that Harry was trying to laugh off the real emotion behind his words. He'd never imagined that Harry might actually hate being the savior of the world. From his point of view, it'd always looked like Harry was a spoiled glory seeker. But then again, he'd never really gotten close to Harry to know the truth. And looking at his face now, he could tell he wasn't lying.

Draco swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a second before he leaned closer, nearly stopping their dance all together and resting his head on Harry's chest. It was meant as sort of an apology and a sign that he understood what Harry was trying to say. He was glad that was all Harry took it as. He felt every ounce of tension simply drain out of the boy's body and he smiled to himself. It was strange being so short though. He was used to being eyelevel with Harry, but now he was more eyelevel with his collar bone.

He took a deep breath and got an unexpected lungful of Harry's scent. He smelled sweet and warm and musky. After one breath he just had to take another, and another after that, unable to get enough. He couldn't describe the scent exactly; it smelled almost familiar, but not quite. It was like spearmint but warm, like tea but sweet, like autumn and spring mixed together. It confused him and so he only wanted to continue to smell it, until he could finally figure out what exactly the smell was. If bottled it could only be labeled as _the forest_. That was close as he got as giving the smell a name.

Their dance had slowed significantly, and they were more shuffling around in a small circle. Draco was glad for this though, because Harry's arms wrapped around him and suddenly the chilly air didn't affect him anymore. It was so _warm_.

Neither of them said anything else, each other them simply lost in their own wonderings. Draco would've liked to attribute the fluttering in his stomach to simply being high on estrogen, or even just to lust. But he knew this feeling. It was a crush. And that scared the shit out of him. How could he have a crush on Harry fucking Potter?

Sure Potter was hot, and though he hadn't really taken the time to examine the boy before tonight, it wasn't like it'd totally escaped his notice. And yeah he may have once sort of thought Harry was cute a few years ago but he'd thought that was all because of his physical appearance. If you'd have asked him yesterday he would've claimed Harry Potter didn't even have a personality. He was a stupid Dumbledore-worshiping puppet to the Ministry. He was like another Gilderoy Lockhart, sure he was a nice little piece of eye candy but behind it there was nothing of substance.

But Harry was proving that wrong, with every coy smile and contented sigh. With all his patience and kindness even when Draco had been almost nothing but insufferable since they'd first bumped into each other. It felt good to know that Harry was really a person behind his pretty face and big reputation. It felt more than good actually. Especially since the boy was so cutely smitten with him.

But Draco frowned hard, his fingers digging slightly into Harry's shoulders as he remembered the ugly truth. This would only last of one night. One night, and then he'd go back to being the boy, Draco Malfoy. And all of this would mean nothing.

Xx-XxX-xX

Harry bit his lip a little as he felt her hands tightening on his shoulders. He searched his mind desperately for something to say. He had to distract her before she realized his one dance had been over long ago.

"So…What'd you do over the summer?" He asked as casually as he could, knowing it was a stupid question.

The girls head lifted from his shoulder and he was shocked speechless again at the sight of her eyes. God damn, his heart was just going to stop if she kept looking at him with those big silvery blue eyes. The color was just so perfect. A perfect base of silver, the color of mercury, with bright flecks of pale blue spreading out from the pupil, the irises outlined by a circle of dark gray. It was like a master artist had painted her eyes to be the most gorgeous thing in the universe. Harry couldn't imagine that such a mix of colors could be created simply by chance.

The girl smirked at him a little, "Are we that desperate for conversation topics already?" She joked and Harry struggled not to blush. But the girl only smiled a little before answering, her eyes looking off into the distance, "Well mostly I stayed here and did the same as everyone else: nothing much. But I did go on a trip with my mother to America. She wanted to do some shopping so we visited a lot of cities on the east coast."

"Well," Harry started with a sigh, "That's more than I did the entire summer. So which was your favorite city?"

"New York, by far. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's just so… full of life." She said, her eyes taking on an unfocused, wistful sort of look, "I have to admit though, I rather liked Philadelphia too."

Harry's brow furrowed a little, "The whole state?"

The girls eyes finally focused on his face again and she blinked once, "Philadelphia is a city in Pennsylvania."

Harry could do nothing to suppress his blush now, but he cleared his throat, "Uh yeah, I knew that. I was joking."

The girl laughed and it was a beautiful sound, "Sure you were."

Harry couldn't help but smile back, even though he'd totally embarrassed himself, "That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

She rolled her gorgeous eyes and leaned forward again resting her head against his chest. It sent shockwaves through his entire body, it was so _good_. She was sort of cold in his arms but that only made him want to squeeze her a little tighter. She was so soft; Harry had never really held a girl like this and enjoyed it this much. It was amazing. And Merlin, whatever perfume she was wearing should be worth millions! She smelled so good, cold like a clear December morning and sweet like the sort of candy that's sinfully delicious. He couldn't help bending his head a little to take a few whiffs of her silky soft platinum hair. Like sugar and vanilla.

"Tell me what you're thinking." She breathed softly and Harry could feel her warm breath against his neck.

"I'm afraid I'll wake up." Harry answered honestly, "You're like a dream…"

She didn't answer but he felt her nuzzle a little closer. It was true that she was perfect, too perfect for Harry to believe it was all real. Her absolutely stunning looks to start with, he'd never met a girl or any person really that looked this good. But she wasn't shallow, maybe a little arrogant, but not self-absorbed. She was witty and charming and that damnably cute little smirk of hers just melted his heart. And she really didn't care that he was famous. She wasn't throwing herself at him or trying to convince him to pick her over all his other fans. She was quietly confident and self assured. She was sweet in some ways and so very fiery in others. He'd never met a person more perfect for him. Except of course… for one little issue that Harry was totally willing to overlook.

He'd never really been interested in women. He'd been sure that he was more attracted to men for nearly two years now. But then she was too perfect to pass up. Though if he was honest with himself, he didn't feel a hint of sexual attraction to her. He wanted her, he liked her. He wanted to hold her every day and watch the flickers of emotion in her gorgeous eyes. He wanted to run his hands through her hair and listen to her voice. But as far as sex went, he just couldn't picture it.

When he was with Ginny, he hadn't even been able to get it up. And when he finally did he hadn't been able to keep it that way…

_Okay, hold it Potter. This is one dance. Stop trying to skip ahead to your wedding night. Idiot. You don't even know if she really wants you or not._

But it felt like she did. In all those playful smirks and tentative smiles, he thought he could see that she liked him. And he really, really liked her too. No, it was more than that. He could be in love with her.

Harry mentally facepalmed at that thought. What in the hell was wrong with him. He'd only met the girl an hour ago. It wasn't like they'd had any deep conversation and he wasn't sexually attracted to her so what was his problem? Love? No way. He didn't even know her, and she didn't know him. But it… it felt so strong. This feeling was ten times stronger than anything he'd ever felt for anyone else. So what was it? Love at first sight?

No, that's impossible! Love at first sight doesn't exist. It's based purely of off physical appearance. It doesn't mean anything! It has nothing to do with real love. Right?

Her head lifted off his chest once more and she looked up at him, "Calm down." She whispered softly.

Was she reading his mind? Oh god, now she knew he liked guys more than girls! And that he'd been thinking about what it'd be like to have sex with her. Oh no, oh no, oh-

"I could hear your heartbeat." She said obviously seeing the scared look on Harry's face, "It started pounding."

Harry forced his body to calm down, but he only managed a marginal difference. Where was all his Gryffindor courage when he needed it? He took a few deep calming breaths and held her a little tighter. He could do this. He just needed to stay calm.

"What were you thinking that made you so nervous?" she asked, her eyes open and honest.

Harry swallowed and decided to be the same. Honesty was always best wasn't it? "I think I'm in love with you."

He cringed a little. He sounded creepy. Who wouldn't freak out if some guy they met an hour ago started proclaiming love? Hell, Harry himself would be creeped out if he were on the receiving end of such attention. But to his surprise, she didn't grimace or sneer. She only shook her head slowly and looked away.

"Don't say things like that, Potter. You'll make it harder for me to go back to my own world tomorrow." She muttered.

Wait. She wasn't totally freaked out by that?

"Harry." Harry corrected her watched as she looked up in confusion. He smiled a little, "Not Potter, call me Harry."

He was more than a little happy when he saw her blush for the first time, a rosy pink highlighting her soft pale cheeks. She looked so utterly, hopelessly adorable that he didn't even know how to respond. He just stared, wanted nothing more that to stroke her cheek with his hand and see if that skin was as smooth as it looked.

"Harry then," She said clearly, but her voice had a nervous sort of ring to it, "I could be falling for you too."

Okay, now Harry was blown away. Her too? She felt it too? He took in a sharp breath trying to control the hope that was welling up in his chest before it got too strong.

"You didn't just have too many drinks, did you?" He asked jokingly, even though he really wanted the honest truth.

She sniffed haughtily and lifted her nose in the air, "I'll have you know, I haven't a single bit of alcohol all evening." Harry laughed at the mock tone of superiority and she smiled and laughed too, "Not that I don't enjoy a drink here or there. But I could get within 15 feet of the table without nearly getting molested." She said and he felt her shudder in his arms. He squeezed her tighter.

But he had to admit, it was understandable. She was the type of girl that was nearly irresistible when totally sober. He was glad he hadn't gone for that last shot of Firewhiskey, or who knows how forward he'd be acting.

"So falling for me, hm?" Harry asked trying to bury his nervous optimism, "So soon? And here I was looking forward to having to woo you over a long period of time."

She shrugged her rounded shoulders, "I've never minded rushing in to things. Though I'll admit this is a little faster than normal. Partly due to your _unprecedented_ wooing skills," she said with a chuckle, "and partly because… I don't know. I guess it just feels right."

"It feels perfect." Harry corrected with a smile.

She was his. He'd gotten her. He'd managed to make her his. In one night he'd managed to gain all that he thought he never could. And god, it felt good.

"A little over confident there, huh?" She joked but Harry only shook his head.

"I know you think it feels perfect too." He whispered, watching her blush return and smiling wider. He'd won. He'd braves this girl's fiery stubbornness and now she loved him. He could've jumped up and down he was so happy.

She frowned a little, her soft pink lips pressing firmly together in what looked like embarrassment and annoyance, "You can be such an insufferable git sometimes." She said but there was nothing but humor in her voice.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. All the Slytherins say that. But don't bother with flattery. You had me at 'you can shove your _help_ where the sun don't shine'." Harry smirked.

She laughed again, before wrapping her arms tightly around him and giving him a warm hug. Harry hadn't been expecting it really but accepted it all the same. Their dance had totally stopped now; they were just standing now, holding each other, the autumn air swirling around them.

"You're perfect. I don't know why I didn't realize before…" He heard her mutter.

"I don't know how I didn't notice you before." Harry replied, "You're really not the type of person I'd easily forget."

He felt her go completely still and he wondered what he'd said wrong. She only shook her head and pulled away from him. At the loss of contact with her, Harry suddenly felt the biting wind much more strongly than usual. His entire body went cold and he longed to touch her again.

"I should go." She said taking a few steps back.

"Wait!" Harry said desperately, grabbing her upper arm, "I'm sorry for whatever I said. Don't leave."

She didn't move to pull away but looked down at the ground. Feeling her indecision Harry gently led her over to one of the stone benches and sat down beside her. He tried to formulate some plan of what his next words would be but decided in the end to just wing it. He'd gotten through most of his life that way, anyhow.

"Listen, I don't know what the hell is wrong with me tonight. I never act like this. But I can't lose you. So please, at least stay long enough to tell me what I did wrong. What can I do to fix it? I'll do anything." Harry rambled hoping the words actually sounded like the language he should know and not like the nervous half formed gibberish he suspected they might be.

She laughed bitterly and looked up at the sky, "I'll stay." She whispered, "But you didn't say anything wrong, so don't worry so much."

Harry frowned and tried to believe that was true. But he could sense something was bothering her. He would've done anything to make it better. It was a strange emotion, to want to do anything to make this girl happy. Harry wasn't exactly comfortable with it. But he wasn't going to fight it.

He watched her shiver as another gust of wind blew past and he scooted closer to her along the bench. She seemed, at first, stiff and reluctant, but within a few seconds she relaxed and leaned against his side, sapping some of his warmth.

"You know," She whispered, "You're so totally different from what everyone says about you."

Harry swallowed and shoved down his nervousness before wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She didn't refuse him. Smiling now that she seemed to have gotten over whatever had made her almost leave, Harry replied, "How's that?"

"You haven't once tried to talk about yourself. You don't act like the world owes you anything. You haven't tried to feel me up or anything… It's odd for me to like you. You're not exactly my type." She muttered with a laugh, "But you're… right for me. Or something. Oh gawd, I'm just going to shut up now and maintain whatever dignity I have left."

Harry laughed, "I sort of understand I guess. But excuse me if I'm just totally ecstatic you said I'm right for you."

She looked up at him just to roll her eyes again and smirk, "You would be focused on that part, Potter." She bit her lip and blushed a little, "I mean, Harry."

Harry suddenly loved his name. He'd always in a way thought it suited him, but he realized just then, from the way her soft voice had purred his first name, that it was just meant to be. Like he'd been named Harry Potter just because the fates in heaven knew how beautiful it would sound when she said it.

"Tell me something about you." Harry said, "I want to know more." And there had never been more truthful words spoken. He realized he knew so very little about her and the craving to know more, to know everything, filled his chest.

"Hmm…" She whispered obviously thinking hard, "I love to fly. I would spend all day on my broom if I could."

"Really?" Harry asked a little shocked. She didn't seem like to type of girl for sports, "So you like Quidditch then?"

She laughed and the sound was pure and happy this time, "I _love_ Quidditch. I just got my issue of _Quidditch Weekly_ in the mail this morning. And I have to say I'm very disappointed the debut of the Firebolt2 has been delayed yet again. I wanted to have it for Christmas."

Harry just stared at her, trying to keep the goofy smile off of his face. She loved Quidditch too? But she looked so frail and ethereal, like a fairy or an angel or something. He couldn't imagine her right in the middle of a Quidditch game, dodging bludgers and weaving through the other players. He tried to picture it but could only get the very vaguest of images. Still, Harry was used to girls never wanting to talk about or watch Quidditch with him. It was sort of something that he and the rest of the Gryffindor boys had to do amongst themselves. Even the girls on the Quidditch team seemed to get bored if they were drawn into long conversations about it.

"I wouldn't have pictured you as the type for Quidditch." He answered honestly, "But I'm really happy you are."

She shrugged, "I'm not your average girl." She whispered before laughing. Harry didn't know how to respond to that or why she was laughing but he shrugged it off.

"Your turn." She said now, "I wanna know something about you. Something the Daily Prophet has yet to find out about."

Harry blushed a little and rubbed the back of his head, "Well honestly, there isn't much about me that's interesting."

"Are you kidding?" She replied with obvious disbelief, "You saved the entire school, the entire _world_, countless times. If you're not interesting, no one is."

Harry shook his head, "I never really did much. It was mostly luck. I just always managed to be in the right place at the right time." He felt a bit of heat in his cheeks, "Like I am now."

He felt her tense a little, "You think you're in the right place at the right time, with me?"

He smiled and braved a look at her trying not to feel the way his pulse drummed erratically as she looked back, "I don't think there's any other explanation for it. I'm just the luckiest damned man in the universe."

She swallowed and looked away before slowly trying to escape the arm that was wrapped around her shoulder. Harry knew he should be courteous and let her but he just couldn't bring himself to let go. He squeezed tighter.

"You're wrong." She said but she didn't sound like she meant it. She sounded scared, "This is wrong… You can't already love me. Nothing in life is this easy."

"No?" Harry questioned feeling a slight sting from her rejection, "How can it not be easy? When fate just drops the girl of my dreams right into my lap."

She sneered and pulled away ever harder, "I don't believe in fate. We're in control of our own lives."

Harry sighed, "Maybe." He agreed quietly, "But there are some things that are just… Inevitable."

She looked away but at least she wasn't trying to leave anymore, "Big word for a Gryffindor." She muttered but he didn't feel any animosity from her.

A little angry that she seemed to be trying to pull herself away from him, Harry grabbed her chin and made her look him right in the eyes. The action may have been a little rough but he had a feeling she was much stronger than she looked. He searched her eyes carefully and found nothing but fear and desire. He internally sighed in relief, she didn't dislike him. She was just scared. Hell, he himself was scared, so he could certainly sympathize. She was right that this was moving too fast, that it was too easy. And part of him was on the alert, waiting for the difficult part to appear. But the rest of him was content to enjoy this while it was here. He wasn't going to let his fear of the unknown stop him from gaining the one thing he'd wanted all his life.

"Fate or not…" He whispered not sure how to finish his sentence.

For a moment he glanced away from her eyes but then happened to see her soft parted lips and he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself. He looked right back into her eyes and he saw them widen. She knew what he was about to do but she didn't pull away. In fact, most of her body relaxed, her only tension showing in the one hand that held on tightly to his shirt.

He leaned in very slowly, the anticipation killing him from the inside out, but he wasn't going to force himself on her. He wanted to give her time to pull away, even though in his mind he was begging that she wouldn't. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest it was all he could hear, and he was sure she could hear it too. But he had the undeniable feeling that this was right. His intuition told him to kiss her, to let her feel just how much, against all odds and rationality, he loved her. His intuition had saved his life many times over and he'd learned to fully trust it. He was in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. Just a little closer…

Their lips couldn't have been more than a fourth of an inch apart. He could feel the heat of the soft, plump flesh, he could taste her breath. He wanted to let his eyes slide closed but somehow, he couldn't break eye contact with her. Luckily she did it for him, her eyelids slowly sliding down, silently giving him permission.

He sent up a final prayer and finally gave in to his urges, about to press his lips firmly down upon hers when the clock chimed loudly as it struck midnight.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Sorry this took so long everyone. But I'm having tons of issues trying to figure out where to take this story. I know what the beginning and end will be but I can't figure out the middle. If anyone has any plot reviews, go ahead and leave a review or something. Also, I'm currently looking for a Beta. Any volunteers?

**Chapter 3**

Xx-XxX-xX

Chapter 3

Draco stared at Harry's darkened jade eyes and he could just _feel_ that he was about to be kissed. The cowardly part of him was screaming at him to run but the rest of him silenced it. Harry was leaning so close now, one hand gently reaching up to cradle his cheek. Draco wanted to close his eyes, to escape that intense emerald stare but he simply couldn't. He stared back, paralyzed.

His heart was literally rattling away in his chest so hard he thought he might faint. His skin was heated with an all too familiar feeling and the butterflies in his stomach swirled around and around dangerously fast. Harry paused with their lips so close he could almost taste the boy already. And he realized he wanted it more than he'd ever wanted anything.

Now he let his eyelids slowly slide closed, giving in. Trusting himself, trusting Harry, and against all of his normal tendencies, trusting fate.

He could feel Harry's warm breath on his lips and—

The clock struck midnight. Draco gasped as he was suddenly reminded about exactly how late it had gotten. The heat in his body suddenly didn't seem so familiar, seeping deeper, thrumming in his bones. And he recognized it as the heat of transformation.

He shoved Harry away as hard as he could and stood to leave, shouting, "I have to go!" over his shoulder as he took off. Already his voice sounded deeper.

He didn't look back to see if Harry was following him, he just ran. He ran right through the center of the still crowded ball, not caring about who he ran into or pushed aside. In his head there was only one line that he kept repeating over and over.

_Just reach the door… Just reach the door…_

And finally, he was there! Pushing through the heavy doors and heading out into the nearly empty hallways. Now he could hear Harry chasing after him, calling out to him, but he ignored it. He continued to run as fast as he could, which admittedly, wasn't as fast as he was capable of with the damn heels strapped to his feet. After turning one corner, he stopped, bracing one hand against the wall to pull them off. Then he took off again, this time much faster, towards the Slytherin dorms.

By the time he reached the large green Tapestry with the silver snake coiled on it, he was so out of breath it took him a few attempts to gasp out the password. But luckily, the snake seemed to understand him. He let out a small sigh of relief seeing the common room was totally deserted and headed straight to the 7th year boys' dorm. Once inside, he threw the strappy shoes he'd been holding at the trunk at the end of his bed, before heading into the bathroom.

He was happy he'd gotten out of there as quick as he did. He was certainly himself again. Only now in makeup and an ill-fitting dress. He scowled at his reflection before looking away ashamed. He shouldn't have left like that. Or more, he shouldn't have indulged Har—_Potter_ in that dance at all. He began quickly getting out of the clothes before taking that long, hot shower he'd been looking forward to earlier. He kept his mind blank as he went through his nightly ritual: brushing his teeth, getting into his pajamas. He wouldn't allow himself to even think about where he'd just been and who he'd been with.

He flopped down onto his bed, totally exhausted and almost immediately started to fall asleep. But not before managing to pray to whoever was listening up there, that this night hadn't been real. That all of this had just been a terrible, terrible lucid nightmare.

Even the part with Harry. Though really, that had been less like a nightmare, and more like a dream come true.

Xx-XxX-xX

At first, Harry was so shocked he almost didn't react. One moment he was about to kiss her and the next she was gone. Not just gone, but running—_sprinting_ away from him, back into the ball room. Harry sat stock still for all of maybe 5 seconds, not realizing what was going on until finally his mind screamed at him:

_Get your arse in gear! GO AFTER HER!_

"Wait!" Harry called running after her, "Come back—"

And it was only then that he realized: he'd forgotten to ask her name again. Harry doubled his speed rudely pushing his way through the jam-packed dance floor. He couldn't let her get away. He couldn't let her simply disappear again to wherever it was she'd been before this night. He had to apologize for what ever it was he had done wrong. He had to—

Some one grabbed his arm and Harry swung around planning to push the person away until he saw who it was.

"Geez mate, what's gotten into you?" Ron asked, "You can't just go around pushing peop—"

"That's not important." Harry nearly yelled, "Come with me! I need your help." Harry said dragging Ron out of the Great hall. The hallways were nearly empty and the muffled music interfered with his thoughts. Which way would she have gone?

"Harry what the hell is your problem?" Ron asked rubbing his arm where Harry had been yanking him through the crowd.

"There was a girl. I don't know her name. She's kinda thin, in a pale blue dress with long blond hair. You take that hallway, I'll take this one." Harry said urgently moving to run of down a corridor but Ron grabbed his arm again.

"Okay, hold on a sec—"

He was interrupted by Hermione coming out of the Great Hall and closing the doors behind her, "What was that about?" She asked looking back and forth between them both.

Harry groaned, "We don't have time for this! We have to find her!"

Ron and Hermione shared a single look before nodding in agreement and splitting up down a three different hallways.

Thirty minutes later, Harry still didn't want to give up. But Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder in small sort of comfort, "She's probably already made it back to her dorm, Harry. We won't find her tonight."

Harry was breathing hard from running and his heart suddenly clenched hard. He'd lost her. He gently shrugged off Hermione's hand before sighing.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you both. I…I just—"

"Don't worry about it." Ron said offering him the smallest smile through his own labored breathing, "We'll just have to find her tomorrow."

Harry shook his head feeling worse than he had before this night began. How could he have let her slip away like that? But maybe Ron was right; maybe he'd be able to find her tomorrow. It wasn't like she could disappear from the castle. And even if she avoided meals, she had to go to class. Harry could find her. He _would_ find her. He vowed it silently in his heart right then and there that he wouldn't not so much as entertain the thought of being with anyone else until he found that girl again.

His friends seemed rather sympathetic to his troubles and offered him nothing but reassuring smiles as the dance finally ended and everyone began heading back to their dorms.

Harry didn't sleep well that night. In fact, he hardly slept at all. He tossed and turned restlessly, in his mind going over all the time he'd spent with her in his head. Where had it gone wrong? He was sure she wanted to kiss him. The way her lips had quirked in the tiniest trembling smile and his eyelids had simply slid down slowly. She wanted to be kissed. And he would have gladly obliged. So where had he gone wrong? What had scared her off?

He spent the most of the night obsessing over those last few seconds they'd shared and berating himself for not reacting sooner. He wanted to rewind time and fix it. It had happened so quickly…

Before he knew it, it was morning already and he had to get up to face the day, while his mind was still painfully stuck in last night. He couldn't forget the sparkling mischievous look in her eyes when she smirked at him. Or the strange sort of sadness there when he smiled at her. He couldn't forget the way she blushed or the way she'd clung to him for warmth. He couldn't forget her scent. In fact he'd held the shirt he'd been wearing to his face a few times, smelling the last hints of her sugary scent.

He left on his pants from last night, not really caring so much about hygiene, but did change his shirt. Harry sighed heavily as he looked himself over once in the mirror. He had dark circles under his eyes. Running his hands through his messy hair a few times, he headed down into the common room. Most of his friends were already sprawled out on the couches, waiting for him to go to breakfast.

"Wow, Harry." Ginny said frowning and standing to come and examine him closer, "What happened to you? You don't look like you slept at all."

Harry frowned and pulled away from her as she reached up to touch his cheek, "I didn't." he replied simply before walking over and sitting down on the couch. Hermione was instantly at his side gently rubbing his shoulders as he put his head in his hands.

"I feel like utter shit." Harry whispered but he knew everyone could hear.

"You hung over too?" Seamus asked from where he was laying over the arm of one of the overstuffed armchairs. His eyes were squeezed shut and he looked rather pale.

Harry shook his head and had to feel grateful that at least he wasn't hung over. Heart broken maybe but not hung over. It would've sucked to have been both at the same time.

"So then what's wrong?" Ginny asked, voicing the curiosity of almost everyone in the room as they waited for Dean, Lavender and Parvati to finally join them so they could head off to breakfast.

"He lost a girl last night." Ron muttered softly.

Seamus chuckled lightly, still not opening his eyes, "Romance troubles, huh? Join the fuckin' club."

"Seamus…" Neville scolded half heartedly.

"Yeah, don't be such a douche." Ron added harshly.

Harry shook his head again, "I can't believe I let her get away. I let her just disappear and I didn't have time to stop her."

He heard more footsteps coming down the stairs and Lavender's voice saying, "Whoa, what's wrong with Harry?" he heard Ginny go over and quickly explain what she knew of the situation in quiet tones.

By the time they had all headed off to breakfast, Harry was feeling no better, and his friends were still shooting endless questions at him. He answered them absently, suddenly anxious to reach the Great Hall. He let everyone else go ahead of him and simply stood in the doorway for a moment as he scanned the crowds. The Great Hall had only a little more than half of the normal amount of students here for breakfast. Probably because everyone was tired and many of them were too hung over to even move.

Harry frowned hard, feeling the lines etching into his face as he didn't spot her at the Slytherin table. He scanned the other tables too, just to be sure, but she just wasn't there. He groaned loudly as he sank into his seat and let his head hit the table. He just _had_ to find her. And it was Sunday. Classes weren't back in until Monday. What was he going to do? How was he going to apologize for scaring her off if he could never find her?

"So what's this girl like, Harry?" Dean asked as he stirred some cream into his coffee.

"She's gorgeous. I know lots of people noticed her. But I bet most of them were too wasted last night to remember much." Harry scowled, "She was kinda tall for a girl, about up to my chin. She had really long platinum blond hair and these huge, beautiful blue-gray eyes. She's kinda pale but when she blushes she just turns like really light pink. And—"

"Okay, stop." Ginny laughed, "We get it. You're in love with her. So what do you know about her that will help us actually find her?"

Harry shrugged and looked down at his plate, "She's a Slytherin."

"And?" Hermione prompted.

Harry blushed a little and frowned stabbing at his eggs, "That's it."

Seamus laughed, "Well how'd you fall so in love with the chick if you didn't even talk to her?"

Harry glared at his friend and reached for his wand ready to hex the smile right off his face but Ron grabbed his arm, "Alright then Harry. Start from the beginning because we're lost."

So Harry sighed and started from the beginning, recounting how he'd left the ball for a walk and heard her being attacked. How he'd saved her from Jeremy and she yelled at him for breaking her bracelet. Then how they'd agreed to have one dance and how one dance had turned into many and then just talking and holding her and almost kissing her and then, she ran away. What Harry didn't notice was that apparently, his story was attracting a lot of attention. Everyone within earshot was quiet and listening and eventually, almost the entire Great Hall had gone quiet as he continued to talk. He tried to make them understand how it didn't matter how little he knew about her. How he was absolutely in love with everything about her. How it wasn't just lust or some silly teenage fling. He loved her and he had to find her.

When he was finally done, he noticed just how many people had been listening in and felt his face grow hot. He certainly hadn't censored his thoughts about how amazingly gorgeous and perfect she was and he was embarrassed that so many people had heard him talking about it.

"Well Harry." Hermione said with a smile, "It _was_ a costume ball. With a little magic, any girl could've looked like that. You might not be able to find her based off of appearance. So you'll just have to make her come to you."

"But how?" Harry asked, "I think I've permanently ruined everything. I shouldn't have tried to kiss her so soon…"

"You consider that soon?" Ron snorted, "I would've been—" he stopped when Hermione cleared her throat and finished, "Umm… nicely escorting her back to her room."

Harry spared a smile at his friend and rolled his eyes, "Right."

"So what happened to the bracelet?" Ginny asked leaning forward from the other side of the table.

Harry's eyes brightened and he reached into his pocket, internally rejoicing when he felt the smooth metal in his hand. Everyone leaned in to get a closer look.

"Who's 'OM'?" Neville asked.

"Dunno." Harry responded, "Maybe it's her initials. She said no one could wear it but her."

"That's it!" Hermione screeched making Harry jump and hold the ear she'd just yelled into.

"What's it?" he asked eyeing her suspiciously. He'd seen that glint in her eye before. It meant she was determined and usually, it meant nothing but hours in the library for Harry and Ron.

The bushy haired girl grinned widely, "I've got an idea."

Xx-XxX-xX

Alright, there's the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed. As I said at the top (if any of you didn't read my authors notes. Shame on you, reader!) I am willing to take some ideas on the plot of this story. So leave a review or send a message about where you're hoping it will go. Also looking for a beta. So send me a message or something if you're interested.

Thanks for reading! :]


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Here you guys go! I know this chappie is a little late but with finals and all I've been pretty busy. Plus, as I said I was a little confused about where to take this story. Thanks for those who tried to help and I'm sorry to any of those I haven't gotten back to yet. I think I've sort of figured out what to do. But I'm sure the story will just take itself where it wants to go.

Chapter 4

Draco sighed softly as he slowly came back into the real world from an amazing dream. He'd been with Harry Potter. He'd had dreams like that before when he was younger but this one was different. Because he could actually smell his woodsy scent, could hear his deep melodic voice, could feel his warm skin…

Draco suddenly sighed much harder and groaned as he remembered it wasn't a dream. He'd gone to the ball as a girl and fallen in love with the fucking Boy-Who-Lived. Ugh! Stupid potions. Stupid Longbottom. And stupid, _stupid_ Blaise. He was _never_ going to accept another one of Blaise's dares as long as he lived. They only ever got him in trouble. In fact, as soon as he saw the boy, he was gonna—

Someone rolled over and threw an arm over him, making Draco's eyes snap open. He screamed and sat up pushing the arm off of him.

"Mm.. Mornin' Dray." Blaise muttered, sprawled face down on his bed clothed only from the waist down. He was obviously in that weird stage between drunk and hung over.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed, you _pervert_!" Draco yelled hitting him rather hard with a pillow.

Blaise groaned, "Don' yell…Couldn' make it to mine."

Draco let out a sound of utter exasperation and pushed the boy firmly off his bed, feeling satisfied as he heard him hit the cold stone floor. He closed his curtains ignoring the boys groans of pain and firmly turned over and went back to sleep.

When next he awoke, it was already late into the afternoon. Blaise was still sleeping on the stone floor and Draco just rolled his eyes and stepped over him. He took another long shower, luxuriating in it and waking himself up. The world was fine as long as he didn't think of Harry's soft laughter and bright, lopsided smiles. He didn't feel like such a terrible person as long as he just concentrated on picking out his clothes instead of remembering the way Harry blushed or the look in his eyes when he listened to Draco talk—

Draco scowled at everything he saw, feeling totally awful. No matter how he tried to distract himself, he couldn't stop thinking about him. He couldn't stop feeling that almost kiss. The heat of Harry's breath against his skin, the smoothness of his lips that had been just a tiny bit out of reach. He couldn't stop thinking about that lovingly lustful gaze Harry had given him. It was a look that worshipped and adored and desired and needed. He couldn't get it out of his head.

Thus, he continued to give dirty looks to anyone and anything that happened to be near him. It at least made him feel as though he were in control. Instead of swirling around in some endless ocean of girly romance junk. Not that the romance was all _that_ bad. But—

"Draco!" Pansy screeched running at him top speed in the common room waving a piece of parchment around as though it were the answer to every question in the universe, "Draco look! _Look!_"

Draco rolled his eyes at the paper she shoved under his nose before he snatched it from her fingers, "Pansy, this had better be… important…" He trailed as he stared at the flyer.

His eyes widened as he stared at it. It had a picture of his grandmother's bracelet on it and he immediately looked at his wrist remembering that it'd broken and he… He'd left it in Harry's pocket! God he was such an idiot. He then focused on the bright flashing words across the top:

_Harry Potter's Dream Girl Search! Seeking the owner of this bracelet. Come to the Transfigurations classroom at 5:00._

Draco hurriedly looked up at Pansy, "What time is it?"

Xx-xX

Harry's eyes widened almost comically as he saw the line of girls, and even _boys_, that had formed. Almost everyone in the school, all ages, had shown up. Harry wanted to dismiss some of them, knowing for a fact the girl he'd been with couldn't be any of the first year Hufflepuffs that giggled as he walked by. But the sad truth was, with magic, it was true anyone could've made themselves look like her.

He sighed seeing the looks of his friends as they sat on and around the teachers desk at the head of the classroom, "Hermione, are you sure this is a good idea?"

The girl was scowling at the sea of desperate fans but her eyes had a set look of determination, "You were happy with her, weren't you? I'm not letting that disappear. We're going to find that girl whether she likes it or not."

Harry nodded and sighed again not looking forward to spending his evening this way. The first girl to step forward was a Ravenclaw with bushy orange curls. She smiled so wide at Harry it was like her face was splitting in two. Harry swallowed and tried not to grimace too much.

"Hi!" She said enthusiastically, "I'm Olive. Well _really_ my name is Claire. But my _full_ name is Claire Olive Marie Tankins. My middle names are OM. Just like my favorite bracelet!"

Harry glanced at Hermione once before offering a tentative smile at the girl, "Can you hold out your wrist please?" he said offering out his hand to take hers.

The girl giggled like a maniac and blushed a dark shade of crimson before eagerly thrusting her arm out towards Harry.

Harry gently tried to place the bracelet around her wrist but she yelped loudly and pulled her arm back. There was now a red ring, almost like a burn, encircling her wrist. And Harry frowned. The bracelet burned people?

"Wait! Harry my love! I know what this must look like, but really I am the girl of your dreams. AndI'''!" the girl was nearly screaming as Ron rather firmly escorted the girl away. Harry saw as the rest of his admirers in the room watched, silence finally falling over them.

Harry cleared his throat and winced as he felt the first stab of headache coming on, "…Next?"

Xx-xX

Draco's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he saw the mob of people crowded outside of the Transfigurations room. Already there were girls standing farther from the mob, crying, apparently having been rejected. There were even groups of them consoling each other. He looked back as Pansy and swallowed thickly.

"I don't think I can do this." He murmured.

"Nonsense." She said her eyes flashing, "We are _going_ to do this whether you like it or not." He voice dropped and she leaned in close, "That's _your_ bracelet and _your_ man in there. Go get them."

Draco paled slightly at the thought of wading through the Potter fans and then blushed quickly as his mind finally registered what Pansy had said.

"He's not _my man_. Merlin, Pansy." He squeaked.

"Stop it." She scolded hitting his arm, "You're acting like some scared little girl. Where's the badass Slytherin I know and love, hm? Get your arse in gear Draco."

Draco wanted to retort that it really wasn't any of her business and that he'd feel much better just going back to his bed and disappearing. But the simple truth was, he wouldn't feel better if he did. He wanted to go to Harry. Pansy saw that and she wasn't letting him back out of this. And suddenly, he was ashamed that he'd been so scared he would've rather hidden forever than faced the truth.

His jaw set and his shoulders stiffened before he nodded firmly and began working his way through the crowd, callously pushing people out of his way. It took him a little while to even get into the classroom and once he did he almost groaned at seeing it was nearly as packed as it was outside. He struggled through, expecting Harry to be at the front. As he got closer he even thought he heard Harry's familiar baritone asking someone to hold out their wrist.

Draco heard a girl squeal rather loudly and then a sad sigh following it. The girl began to screech all sorts of pleas for Harry to just date her and forget about the mystery girl but Draco wasn't paying attention. He finally reached the front and when his eyes landed on the dark haired Gryffindor, his memories of the previous night rushed over him again, hitting him with the force of a tsunami and nearly drowning him in its power. He realized he had a goofy grin on his face and he hastily suppressed it before stepping forward, easily pushing the girl who'd been approaching Harry, back into the surging mob.

He smirked a little at Harry as he saw the boy's eyes fall on him. He waited, hoping—_praying_ Harry would recognize him. Praying that Harry would still want him. The boy frowned slightly, sitting on the teacher's desk. Draco walked forward and smiled a little.

_Alright Draco, this is your chance. Say something. Say something _amazing_. Say something that will get his attention, that will remind him how much he wants you, that will literally rock his fucking world. You can do this!_

Despite his encouraging inner monologue, Draco felt his confidence wavering. He opened his mouth, hoping the right words would come out but all he managed to say was, "Hi."

Draco bit the inside of his cheek in embarrassment. That's it? That's all his crafty Slytherin mind could come up with? Damn he needed to work on his charm.

"What d'you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked calmly and Draco couldn't suppress the disappointment that welled up in his chest. Leave it to Harry, the ever oblivious Gryffindork not to recognize him at all.

Draco stepped closer, now only a few feet away from Harry and he heard Neville gasp. Good. At least _someone_ figured it out.

The usually shy boy opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was a quiet choking sound. He reached up to his throat at though trying to force the words out, but Draco knew it was useless. The spell; the _stupid spell_ he'd thought was going to save his reputation was now doing nothing but ruining his life.

"What is it Neville?" Harry asked turning to him.

The boy's brown eyes were shiny with urgency and his face was turning red with the effort to push the words out. Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head at the straining Gryffindor as surreptitiously as possible. Neville finally sighed and took a few deep breaths as Ron patted him on the back.

"Nothing, Harry." Neville gasped breathlessly.

Harry's lips twisted in that cute way they do when he's thinking hard about something. But he accepted Neville's answer with a curt nod.

"So." Draco interrupted again, his voice louder than he'd intended, making all eyes turn back to him. He cleared his throat and tried not to blush at the sudden scrutiny, "I heard about your little 'girl problem'." Draco said moving to sit on the teachers desk next to Harry, he examined his nails nonchalantly, "Tough luck, eh? But do you really think that girl is gonna wait in that mob of a line? Do you expect to find her this way?"

Harry frowned, "Well it's not like I've got a lot of other options is it?" he said eyeing the mob of girls all staring at him impatiently and arguing amongst themselves about who deserved to marry him. Harry grimaced before turning back to Draco, "What's it to you anyway, _Malfoy_?"

Draco tried uselessly to say what he wanted to, but of course the words didn't come out. He internally cursed while trying to keep a straight face. Alright… There had to be some way to tell Harry that it'd been him, since Harry was too blind to see it.

"So…. I really like New York." Draco said eyeing Harry seriously.

Harry's eyebrows rose and Draco's heart started pounding. This was it! Harry had realized it was him!

"What does that have to do with _anything_? If you're not here for any reason I suggest you leave."

Draco's hope shattered. God damn it! He'd fallen in love with a fucking idiot! A perfectly cute fucking idiot…. But still!

"Listen, Harry. You need to get serious if you're trying to find this girl." Draco bit out, his jaw clenched in irritation.

Harry gave him a weird look, "Since when do you call me by my first name?"

Draco blinked a little in surprise, he hadn't been aware that he'd even called Harry by his first name rather than his last. It just felt so familiar on his lips already, as natural as breathing.

"If you think hard enough, you'll figure it out I'm sure." Draco smirked.

Instead of taking this as a clue, Harry seemed to think it an insult to his intelligence, "I don't know why you're here but this isn't a joke. I'm busy here, and if you only came to get on my nerves, you've succeeded and can go now."

Draco bit his lip for a moment before simply holding out his arm to Harry. The dark haired boy's eyes flicked down to his proffered arm and then back up to his face.

"Try it on me." Draco explained, then flushed when he felt the shock from all the surrounding people, "W-Well, by your logic you have to try it on everyone to rule out people. So go ahead. Try it on me."

Harry stared at his face for a moment before he sighed hard and let his head sink down, "You're right. This is stupid logic."

_No you idiot, I wasn't being sarcastic I was being fucking literal!_ _Is it that farfetched to think I'm the one you're in love with?_

But Draco knew the answer to that question before he even finished asking it in his thoughts. Yes, it was far fetched. Harry's mind would probably never make the connection between a male arch nemesis and his dream girl, even if they resembled each other slightly.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Harry asked seriously looking at Draco.

Draco's eyebrows rose a little, surprised Harry was asking for advice from him. He must be really desperate. Draco looked away and tried to think for a moment, "Well… Do you think the _person_ you met loved you?"

Harry smiled sadly looking away, "She nearly said it. Which is why I don't understand why she'd run…"

Draco cleared his throat to bring Harry back into the present since he seemed to have drifted a little thinking about the girl he thought he met last night.

"If she loves you, she'll come to you. So just keep a look out. You'll see her soon enough." Draco assured wanting nothing more than to reach out and comfort Harry. But he knew it would not be an accepted gesture as he was now.

"Right. Well… Thanks Malfoy. You're being surprisingly civil today." Harry commented with a wary smile.

"What use is fighting anymore anyway?" Draco asked, "I did offer you my friendship way back when, if you remember correctly."

Harry's smile widened a little before he bit his lip and stuck his hand out. Draco looked down at it and back up at the Gryffindor's face, a little too shocked to react. Did this mean that Harry had figured it out? He answered his own question just by looking at the Gryffindor's face. Harry looked oddly nervous, his eyes glancing to the side a few times. His friends seemed equally as shocked as Draco though not angry which also surprised the unprepared Slytherin.

"Well?" Harry asked, "Friends? Or at least, not enemies anymore?"

"That's sudden." Draco replied, his voice sounding weak and unsure. Not liking the sound of insecurity in his own voice he reached out and took Harry's hand. It was warm and slightly calloused but it felt great to touch him in his true body.

"At least not enemies." Draco said with a smirk.

Xx-xX

Meanwhile, Cho Chang was sitting on her bed with a bracelet in her hand, twirling her fingers around it slowly. She wasn't as stupid as the other girls who had immediately rushed to try on that bracelet. She'd watched for only a little while before leaving. She couldn't let herself get that burn of rejection around her wrist. No, she had to find away around this to get to the person she wanted most.

Harry hadn't so much as glanced at her after they'd broken up. And yeah, she'd been a little harsh to him but that was before she knew that he would end up defeated you-know-who and become the most eligible bachelor in the entire wizarding world. He no longer looked so nerdy and he was filthy rich and famous. But he wouldn't even look at her anymore. This was the perfect chance for her to work her way back into his heart.

All it would take is a little planning, a little practice, and she would be set for the rest of her life.

She twirled the bracelet a little more and it slid inconspicuously into her sleeve.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry this update took so long. But it's finally up. I'll be trying to finish the story ASAP so hopefully the next update won't take even half as long. Make sure to leave me a review on how this story is going because honestly, I'm still not sure how it'll end. XD

Enjoy your chapter. :]

**Chapter 5**

Harry was more than just a little conflicted. He loved his fairytale girl, more than he'd truly ever loved anyone else. She was perfect and he would give anything to find her again, to _hold_ her again. But…

Draco laughed at something Hermione had said. Hermione smiled wide glad someone around here finally understood her jokes about Ancient Runes. Even Ron didn't seem all that uncomfortable with Draco's presence anymore. It'd been a little tense at first, but once they realized much of Draco's bad attitude was due only to the things he was forced to do during the war, it was easy to forgive and forget. They'd defeated Voldemort to bring peace, hadn't they? What better way to bring reconciliation than to make friends with past enemies.

Harry averted his eyes from Draco's radiant face. God, he was beautiful. Especially now that all of the stresses of war were gone and the Slytherin could truly be happy.

So _maybe_ Harry'd had an itsy bitsy little crush on Draco at one time. And _maybe_ he kind of still had a very, _very_ small crush on him. But then it's not like he really knew the boy all that well. Just somewhere around 13 he started having rather vivid dreams and fantasies about the way the boy's slender thighs would grip his broom stick.

Harry didn't really think the inclination to like him was really due any to Draco's personality. He'd only thought Draco was attractive, as did nearly every other person who looked at him. But it was still a bit of a slap in the face to have him as a friend now.

All this time, Harry was craving love from someone who understands him. He finds "the one" and she disappears. Then right after he's sworn not to love another until he's found her again, fate decides to dangle the most delicious eye candy it can find right in front of his face.

Not only that, but Draco's attitude was drastically different than any of them could've imagined. He was witty and light hearted. Sarcastic and cunning, to be certain, but still no less amiable. He even gave a few genuine smiles, not just half smirks. It was like Harry was falling in love with him all over again. But this time, not just with his otherworldly sex appeal. He was learning to like Draco Malfoy for who he was. And if there was anything in the world scarier than that, Harry couldn't guess what it could be.

"So then, Harry. Any further news on your disappearing lover girl?" Ginny asked as she walked over to them. As they were sitting out on the grass near the lake, she was careful to tuck her skirt underneath herself before she sat down.

Harry sighed as he was brought back from his thoughts about Draco to the girl he hardly knew but loved with all his heart. Part of him, the stubborn part, wanted nothing more than to forget all about her and move on. She obviously didn't like him that much if she'd run away like that.

But then the rest of him somehow knew she hadn't done it on purpose. He knew that if he did manage to find her again, he'd end up with a greater relationship than he could've ever imagined. He wasn't willing to let the fantasy die just yet…

"No, I haven't heard anything else. No more than the same desperate lies from girls I know can't be her. She wouldn't approach me like that. You know, yelling and screaming about undying devotion and marriage and stuff. She'd find a different way…" Harry trailed falling into musings he'd been through a hundred times before.

Draco cleared his throat, "Well… It really shouldn't be terribly hard. There are only so many students at Hogwarts and many can be immediately eliminated as possibilities."

"Yeah." Harry replied conspicuously avoiding Draco's eyes. He'd learned years before that he was prone to staring too deeply into them and had since then tried to avoid them whenever possible, "I really felt bad trying her bracelet on everyone. Not only because it's hers but because it burns the people it doesn't belong to."

"There are other ways." Draco muttered but he didn't expand upon his sentence.

Luckily Hermione quickly filled in what Draco did not, "Don't give up Harry, not now. I have a feeling we're closer than we think we are. I mean… She at least must know that you're looking and that's a start. Let's go over a few more details, do you remember anything else from that night?"

Harry's face sank a little in self pity as his eyes drifted away, "I remember _everything_." He whispered. Their group of friends, all of whom had been carrying on different conversations, all seemed to concentrate on Harry in that moment.

"She… liked Quidditch. She said she was hoping to have the Firebolt2 by Christmas." Harry said futilely, knowing he'd gone over every detail already.

"Do you think she'd be going home on holiday or staying at school?" Ron asked and for once Harry perked up a little. That was a question that hadn't been asked yet.

"I dunno. She didn't say. She did seem close to her mother though. So I'd assume she'd be going home." Harry answered.

"Unfortunately, most people do that so that doesn't really narrow the list much." Hermione sighed.

Ginny was sitting quietly picking at the grass with her fingers but she suddenly spoke up, "Speaking of Quidditch, when's our practice Harry? We've got another game coming up soon."

It was obvious that Ginny was trying to redirect the conversation to happier topic and Harry was glad for the change. He smiled at her in thanks and she gave him an almost imperceptible nod.

"Well, I scheduled one for Thursday evening as usual." Harry answered, "But I had just recently been thinking it might be good to clock in a few more hours. Whenever the pitch is available I guess. I should go check with Madame Hooch."

Harry stood and dusted imaginary dirt from his pants, "No better time than the present, I guess. I'll see you guys around." He offered in a brief goodbye.

"Wait." Draco said suddenly and rather firmly. Something about his voice really made Harry pause, "Do you mind if I walk back to the castle with you?"

Harry wasn't sure whether he felt giddy or resentful. And considering those are hard emotions to mix up, he knew he was happening upon some serious confusion and troubles. He wanted Draco, the fact hit him like a stunning spell to the chest. But he didn't want him, he didn't want to give up on the girl he'd fallen in love with. He wanted fate to stop playing with him.

He agreed solemnly, and he saw that Draco seemed to notice his disposition. The blond was somber and serious as he stood to join Harry, and his face was set into a familiar expression. There was a plot roiling behind those eyes that Harry avoided looking into. He could feel it.

He waved to his friends trying to smile as he braced himself for the temptation that was Draco Malfoy. He could get through this, with or without his dignity was still yet to be seen, but he could manage. It was just like Hermione said, Harry couldn't give up on his dream girl just yet. He couldn't let himself be swayed, not for all the beautific smiles or firm perfectly squeezable asses in the world.

It wouldn't be a short walk all the way back to the castle, though it wouldn't be too long either. Harry hoped their paths would split rather early on.

They walked in silence for a few protracted seconds. Harry glanced suspiciously over at the blond trying to guess what could be going on his head. He just couldn't read him. Draco had an impenetrable mask of placidity, though Harry would bet his wand arm that it was false.

Draco was carefully tactful as he initiated small talk that neither of them was interested in, "How are your studies going?" He asked as though he were some distant visiting relative, "Well, I hope."

"As well as usual." Harry replied quickly feeling more nervous as the tension began to thicken and the seconds stretched to ridiculous proportions.

"Mm." was Draco's noncommittal reply, "I was… well." He began again slowly and from his unusual pauses and stumbles Harry could tell they were entering treacherous conversational territory.

Draco cleared his throat quietly, "I was thinking about your 'girl troubles'." His voice seemed casual but there was something bubbling beneath that feigned calm.

They'd just reached the castle, climbing the steps and walking through the corridors. Harry wondered exactly where it was Draco was headed. The blond didn't make any comments about his destination, only followed by Harry's side.

When Draco failed to expand upon the thought, Harry encouraged, "Yes? Have you come up with any new ideas?"

The crowds in the corridors were beginning to thin as they strayed deeper into the castle and Harry began to worry that maybe Draco had never had a destination at all. Just as he was thinking he might try to make a hasty escape before things could get worse, Harry felt a warm pressure against his arm.

He stopped and turned to look at the boy with hope and trepidation stirring heavily in his stomach. He was almost brave enough to truly look Draco in the eyes but promptly chickened out and instead focused his sight on his pale eyebrows.

"I know this is going to sound ludicrous to you but, maybe you could give up." The boy tried his voice pitifully shy in comparison to his usual confidence, "Not to say that you've been wasting your time waiting for her. You're very loyal, to a fault even. I just thought… that maybe you might be able to find others to occupy your time."

Harry scowled feeling vaguely disgusted with Draco's word choice, "_Occupy my time_?" He asked and from the small line that briefly appeared between the boy's eyebrows, Harry could tell he'd winced, "I'm not looking for anyone to _occupy my time_. I really think I've fallen in love with her. I want her, and only her. I know she's out there and I'm not going to give up until I've found her."

"That came out wrong." Draco said, attempting to salvage what was left of this brief and awkward talk, "I only meant that there are others out there. Others who like you and aren't running away."

"Plenty." Harry snapped thinking of his huge fan club, "But I don't want them and never have. Just what are you trying to convince me of?" Harry asked driving immediately to the point that Draco was desperately skirting around.

The boy closed his eyes for a moment, "I thought, maybe it's possible that you could be happy with someone else. That's all."

Harry sighed trying not to feel the desire welling in his chest. He _wanted_ to give up on the girl who was made more of dreams than reality. He wanted to forget her and all the trouble she'd caused. He wanted to try and find happiness with someone else. Even if it was just temporary, even if it was just the normal come and go type of teenage dating. He wanted it because it felt so absolutely _wrong_ to refuse it.

But he could _feel_ that she was out there. Waiting for him, forced to stay away by some force she couldn't control. He didn't want to give up. He didn't want to let her go, though he'd truly lost his grip from the moment she'd sprinted away. He clung desperately to those few sweet hours of total harmonious bliss.

"Draco," Harry murmured, the name feeling foreign and yet perfect as it slipped past his lips, "I'm sorry. I can't give up. Not now; not yet. Maybe… if I find her again and she rejects me properly then I'll consider y— _others._ But I can't just forget. I'll always wonder…"

Draco seemed to recoil so quick it was as though Harry was talking to an entirely different person, "Well yeah, of course. That's completely understandable. It was just an idea after all." he said with a laugh that sounded so genuine Harry found himself smiling a little.

"Yeah so… Where exactly were you heading again?" Harry asked.

Draco stuttered a little, "Oh I just thought I'd head to the library. That's all."

"Oh okay. Well, I guess I'll see you later then." Harry said with a hurried sort of smile, ready to make his escape.

Draco accepted the words quickly with no signs of anything out of the ordinary, "Yeah, see you." was the only response he gave.

Harry still felt the almost burning warmth where Draco had touched him. It made his skin tingle and he shook himself quickly to try and clear his mind. He just needed to see Madame Hooch really quick. Then he could escape to his room if he wanted to. Maybe have Dobby bring him dinner as opposed to going to sit in the Great Hall.

While he didn't generally like asking Dobby for a lot, it was easier than sitting in the Great Hall and helplessly searching the faces of everyone there, looking for _her._

Xx-XxX-xX

"Dammit!" Draco shouted in frustration as he pulled his robes off and threw them on his bed. He felt like pulling his hair out, or screaming into his pillow. How could everything go so wrong?

He hadn't meant to be so forceful, to arouse so much suspicion, to be so ineloquent! He felt like a failure and he didn't know how else to approach the situation. He'd done all he could. He'd made friends with Harry and all of Harry's friends. He'd give him "the look", he'd dropped hint after hint. But Harry just wasn't looking. It was like he was actively trying _not_ to look. He ignored Draco to the absolute best of his ability.

And then at odd times, Draco would get a rush of excitement when he'd catch Harry looking at him, or see a sort of misty faraway look in his eyes. For a moment, Draco'd think that Harry had finally figured it out, or had at least decided to give up on the girl that didn't actually exist. And then he'd have to come crashing back down when Harry showed absolutely no signs of forgetting that one night at the dance.

The ups and downs of it were killing him. His stress and frustration levels were through the roof.

He was at the end of his rope, and he knew it.

He couldn't make Harry give up on that girl; there was nothing Draco could do to make himself appealing enough for Harry to give up on his hopeless Gryffindor concepts of loyalty and honor. He couldn't tell Harry that he was in fact the "girl" that he was looking for and he couldn't find anyone that seemed to be able to figure it out, at least enough to say anything about it.

There were a few times he thought that maybe Hermione had an inkling, but she never brought it up. She probably figured Draco would just tell Harry if he was his dream girl. Hell, Draco would think that if he were in Hermione's position. All of this was his own fault!

Draco hadn't realized that he was standing so tensely until his joints began to ache. He heard quiet footsteps across the cold stone floor as Pansy approached him. She placed a single hand on his shoulder and it seemed like all of Draco's frustration and self hate drained leaving him only with a sense of hopelessness.

"It's alright, Draco." She whispered, "We'll get though to him. He'll figure it out."

Draco sighed softly and reached up to gently pull her hand off of his shoulder, "Thank you." he replied, and he meant it. But somehow, he still found it hard to believe her words, "But no one ever said that fairytales have to get happy endings." He muttered as he sank onto his bed in exhaustion.

Xx-XxX-xX

It was time. Cho had it all figured out. There could be no mistakes. She'd been hiding in the girls' Quidditch locker room for some time now, waiting for the Gryffindor team to finish their practice.

While it wasn't generally permitted for students from other houses to watch another team practice, it wasn't as though the information about when the practices were held could be kept secret. All she had to do was watch the pitch and maybe weasel a bit of information from some easily manipulated first year Gryffindors. Harry was so predictable, calling for extra practice just before a game. Cho plan still would have worked even without that little detail, but with it, she felt unstoppable.

When the Gryffindor team did finally bring practice to a close, Cho was very careful to be unnoticed. Even her breath slowed down as she tried her best to fade into the background. Ginny, Katie and Demelza weren't very attentive though. They were talking about the practice and beating Hufflepuff tomorrow. None of them were suspicious about their own locker room so none of them looked around. Everything was running so smoothly! She'd expected at least one little hiccup by this point, and yet there were none.

She waited, feeling anxious as she watched the girls undress. She'd paid someone to let her borrow their invisibility cloak. She'd nearly emptied out every galleon in her family's Gringotts vault for this but it'd be worth it in the end. Still, no matter how much money she had, invisibility cloaks only did so much. This one just had some sort of disillusionment in the thread or something—not that Cho studied invisibility cloaks much. But she knew low-quality when she saw it. It was too short forcing her to stoop so her feet wouldn't be seen, and infrequently small holes would appear in the magic allowing prying eyes to see inside.

She could only hope no one saw her. But just incase she'd also placed herself in the farthest corner with a laundry basket blocking most of her from sight even without the damned cloak.

She noticed Demelza gaze a little too long in the corner she was crouched in and she panicked thinking maybe she could see her, maybe the cloak had failed. There was one thing she hadn't planned for. What would she say if she was caught? Oh fuck, of all the blind spots it was possible to have in a plan, that one had to be the worst!

Luckily, Demelza turned away and continued to get undressed like her other two teammates. Cho's pounding heart calmed only fractionally. There was still so much more to do, and so much more that could go wrong. She need to stay calm and just concentrate.

The time to act was now, Cho knew this and tried to shake off her apprehension. She'd been crouched here for so long she couldn't believe it was actually time to go through with her plan. One of her legs had gone to sleep and she was feeling a bit queasy with nervousness. She still wasn't able to come up with a good lie to tell if she was caught. That little hole in her security made her feel almost naked. But there was nothing one could say that would justify hiding out in the Quidditch locker rooms and watching another house's team get undressed.

It was now or never, prepared lie or no.

Cho tried to stretch a little to ease the tingles out of her numb legs, but it didn't do much. Plus, she didn't want to waste much time. The longer she stayed here the higher the chance of one of those stupid holes in the magic showing up. She had to do this and do it quick.

Cho maneuvered her body around the laundry bin and tiptoed as silently as she could of the tile floor. She took one deep breath and held it as she moved closer and closer to Ginny Weasley. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could hear it clearly as she reached out and snatched a few hairs straight from Ginny's head.

The redhead recoiled shouting a disgruntled "ow!" before reaching up to rub her scalp.

Katie looked over at her, "What's happened?" She asked.

Ginny scowled at the thin air that was before her and shook her head, "Must've snagged some of my hair on the locker door or something."

Cho scurried back a few feet and then slowly crept further and further away. She had the Weasley girl's hair and now all she had to do was wait. She let out the breath she'd been holding, careful to do it slow so as not to provoke the cloak into revealing her. She took slow steps all the way back to her laundry basket before crouching behind it again.

Her heart was still pounding and she placed one hand over it as though to both thank it for keeping her alive in this stressful situation and calm it once more. She'd won! She could already feel the tides of fate changing to flow in her favor.

She waited patiently now for the girls to take their showers. She couldn't afford to waste much time. She needed them stalled for as long as possible. As soon as all three girls had disappeared into the shower room and Cho heard the sound of the water hitting the tile, she nearly bolted for the door.

She had to be quiet, but she wanted to be quick too. She made sure her footfalls were as silent as ever but she still quickly slipped out of the door and shut it as quietly as she could behind herself. Once she was out she nearly rejoiced verbally. Instead, she chose to focus her good energy on completing this phase of her plan without any mistakes.

Cho opened the cloak a little and pulled out her wand quickly chanting locking spell after locking spell upon the metal door. She also cast a difficult repelling charm which would make it hard for the girls to even touch the door let alone unlock it.

After she was done she hastily ran away from the locker room, throwing the cloak off of herself. After all, the sunlight would more than likely burn a few more revealing holes into the magic cloth. And it would be more suspicious to be caught in an invisibility cloak than it was to simply be caught running away.

Cho didn't stop running until she was back inside the school. As soon as she caught her breath she started giggling as she held up the bright red hairs in her hand. The giggles got louder and louder until they finally transformed into full laughter. But even her victory could not distract her from the task at hand.

Though the girls would still be taking their showers and getting dressed for a while before they found the locked door, Cho couldn't waste any time. Her plan had gone perfectly so far but now she was entering more treacherous territory. She knew the boys would usually have finished their showers first. Now all she had to do was find him on his way back to the Gryffindor common room and talk to him. Get him to show her the bracelet and everything would be perfect.

Cho looked around once before heading off towards moaning Myrtle's bathroom. It was the only place she could go to hide. She tried to be inconspicuous and made sure the dead girl was nowhere in sight before going inside. She ran into the very last stall, closing and locking the door. Satisfied that no one would see her, she pulled out the vial she'd had tucked in her bra, close to her heart where she would be certain to feel if it fell out. She shoved the bright red hair in, replaced the cork and shook it gently feeling a rush of victory. She smiled to no one in particular and raised the vial before chugging it all back. God was it vile! But she figured all polyjuice must taste like that.

She stayed behind the statue for a while longer, letting the heat and pain of transformation pass before she moved again. When she did, she saw the distinctive Weasley hair falling in front of her eyes. The tingling and burning had stopped but she wasn't ready yet. Cho reached behind the toilet to find her bag, shrunken so as not to attract attention. Inside were Gryffindor robes. It's funny the kind of things you can make stupid boys do for you if you shorten your skirt a little.

Cho couldn't help but smile as she changed. Things couldn't be going more splendidly. When she was changed, she looked exactly like Ginny Weasley. All that was left was to find Harry. She didn't bother re-shrinking her bag that now held her own robes. She'd be back for it in just an hour anyway.

Cho checked her watch. 56 minutes left as Ginny. Still ahead of schedule but she couldn't afford to waste time. She left the bathroom as carefully as she came in, wary of anyone seeing her. The last thing she needed were rumors of Cho Chang going into a bathroom and Ginny Weasley coming out. Fortunately, there was no one in the corridor.

Cho walked as quickly as she could without drawing suspicion to herself. Harry was probably already nearing the Gryffindor common room. She needed to catch him before he went in.

She tried to stay pleasant to the few people who stopped Ginny to stay hi, but she was too in a hurry to be too kind. She noticed the odd looks she got but accepted them as unavoidable. She'd be getting much worse looks if she turned back into Cho in the middle of a crowded hallway.

She tried to hurry but by the time she'd reached the fat lady portrait Harry and Ron were already there, about to go in. Cho could've ground her teeth to dust in anger. But it was too late, she'd just have to improvise.

"Wait up!" She called, her voice sounding so unfamiliar she nearly grimaced.

Harry's eyebrows rose, "Ginny? Hey, you showered quick. What happened to those extra laps around the pitch you wanted to take?"

Cho shoved the panic that was bubbling up in her throat back down, "Oh I finished them. And yeah, I showered quick and everything." She smiled, "There was just something I wanted to talk to you about. So I rushed up."

The boys went in through the portrait hole and Cho was forced to follow to continue the conversation. She felt apprehensive and out of her element. There were so many more things that could go wrong…

"Oh yeah?" Ron asked, "Like what?"

"I wanted to talk to Harry." She said immediately realizing how snippy her voice had been. She tried to refrain from biting her lip but both of the boys looked at each other before looking back at her, "_Just_ Harry. If you don't mind."

Ron rolled his eyes and gave a long-suffering sigh, "Girls…" He muttered under his breath before heading off to sit among the other Gryffindors.

Harry's eyes weren't suspicious, they were concerned, "What is it, Ginny?" He asked in a low voice taking a step closer to her.

She was so close! But she couldn't have this many witnesses, "Can we maybe talk somewhere more privately?" She asked.

Harry seemed confused but he didn't refuse, "Uh… well sure I guess. I was just going up to grab my Astronomy textbook for that study thing Hermione wanted to do. I mean, you can talk to me up there if you want."

Cho swallowed nervously. Where was _up there?_ She didn't know.

"Yeah that sounds okay." She replied easily as she followed Harry through a door and up a set of stairs. _Dorms_ she realized. She prayed no one else would be in there.

Luck was on her side this time. No one was there and it seemed to be common for the late afternoon. Harry quickly went to go through his trunk and grab his textbook. He seemed totally unfazed with Ginny's presence in the boy's dorm as though it was possible a common occurrence. That made Cho's jaw tighten in indignation.

"So what's up?" Harry asked, not bothering to face her.

"Oh well…I had an idea about how to find the girl from the ball." She said. That immediately got the boy's attention. He stood up straight and looked at her.

"Really? What is it?"

Cho shrugged, "It was just a passing thought. You know, trying the bracelet on people again."

Harry frowned, "That's not a new idea."

"Well… I was thinking of profiling people who are more likely to be _her_. You know?" Cho continued as she began to regain her confidence.

Harry stroked his chin in thought as he sat down on his bed, "You really think that could work?"

Cho smiled, "Yeah if done right. Can I see the bracelet?" She asked as innocently as possible.

Harry didn't seem surprised or put off by the request. He simply reached into his breast pocket and pulled it out, touching it with surprising gentleness before handing it over.

Cho took the bracelet with her biggest smile yet. Yes! This was it! It was as good as if Harry had just said "I do". She twirled the bracelet in her fingers a little while she paced. Harry's eyes followed her but not carefully. He wasn't suspicious at all.

"I was thinking you shouldn't count out people who've been known to have crushes on you before. You know, some people can change as they grow older." Cho said as she continued to twirl the bracelet exactly the way she'd practiced over and over.

Harry nodded, "Yeah, you're right."

"Yup." Cho said resolutely before snapping her fingers in his face to distract him again as she pulled the replacement from inside her sleeve.

Harry laughed, "What was that for?"

"To get your attention." Cho said leaning closer to keep his eyes on her face as she moved to slip the original bracelet into her sleeve.

She realized only a few seconds in that she was going to miss. Her hands had gone slightly numb with excitement and she missed. Horror swelled up inside her as she realized it was going to fall. She had to do something!

She coughed. Loud and hard covering her mouth with her other hand as she tried to distract Harry from the sound of the bracelet hitting the floor. He didn't seem to notice. He even stood to pat her on the back.

Cho kept her eyes to the ground staring that the incriminating flash of silver. If Harry looked down she was as good as doomed. It would be an awkward move but she had to do it. She moved a little closer to him as though she'd lost her balance and kicked the bracelet under the bed. She was pretty sure it wouldn't be found for at least a week or two. And from the condition of the rest of this room, she would bet on longer. Plus it wouldn't be long before she'd be sneaking into Harry's bedroom as herself.

At least Harry's attention was fully on her as she cleared her throat and regained her balance.

"Are you okay?" he asked obvious concern in his demeanor.

Cho nodded and smiled wide as she looked right into Harry's eyes, "Perfect."

Thanks for reading! And I'm sure you know how much I love reviews. :]


	6. Note

**Authors Note**

Hello everyone, I first want to thank everyone for the support this story has gotten. I'm glad you all liked it so much!

However, reading back over it, I can't see myself continuing on with it in the shape it is now. I tried—I really did try to continue writing it, but I couldn't with the way it was set up.

HOWEVER, if I'm going to continue this story and give it the ending it deserves, I will likely have to completely re-write it from the ground up. I'm interested to see how well I can do this and I'll start trying again ASAP.

I'll leave these chapters up for now, but hopefully, there will be a new, updated version of the story up for everybody soon.

Thanks again for all your support and I'm sorry this story had to end like this.

-Shinosuke


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